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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27649580">Funsgiving Friendship</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/RagingCycloneZorch/pseuds/RagingCycloneZorch'>RagingCycloneZorch</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Trolls (Movies 2016 2020), Trolls: The Beat Goes On (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Cute, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Fun, Funsgiving, Grey Branch (Trolls), Happy Ending, Humor, Poppy's kindness, Pre-Movie, Singing, Tearjerker, Thanksgiving</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 20:21:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,572</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27649580</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/RagingCycloneZorch/pseuds/RagingCycloneZorch</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In Troll Village, Funsgiving is one of the most popular holidays. This year, Poppy wants Branch to participate, and with some help from her friends, she might be able to befriend the Grey Troll in a way no one has ever been befriended before.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Branch &amp; Queen Poppy (Trolls)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I'm really excited for this new multi-chapter short story! As you can already tell, it's a story about one of the Pop Troll holidays focused on in Trolls the Beat Goes On! While this is pre-movie, it is based off season 8, episode 3 of that. </p><p>Oh, it's also an AU.</p><p>I hope you enjoy this for the upcoming holiday!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>In a world where Trolls sang, danced, and hugged all the time, it was obvious that friendship and fun were important. While they had fun with their friends all year round, there was one day a year when it was a little more encouraged. A little more important. Combine those with a table full of food, a couple of proverbs, and a game of Spin the Fuzzbert, one can get a holiday that has been many Trolls’ favorite for years.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Funsgiving. The only holiday where the Trolls were actually </span>
  <em>
    <span>encouraged </span>
  </em>
  <span>to play with their food.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It always came in the fall, just after the leaves had fallen off the trees, but early enough that Snow Day wasn’t yet around the corner. Like many of the major holidays in the village, Trolls looked forward to it all year.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, except one Troll. Everyone knew about the Grey Troll who lived away from the village. And everyone knew about Princess Poppy’s many attempts to befriend him. While they weren’t always successful (just the opposite, actually), she had a new one that she was sure would bring Branch out of his shell.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yes, this Funsgiving was going to be pretty magical. Friendship was in the air, and Poppy was going to take advantage of that.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Alright, this first chapter is kind of short, but they will get longer. I'll be updating the majority of next week.</p><p>I also need song suggestions! If you have any songs you like that you think might work well for this story, let me know! I only have one so far I'm going to use for sure. If you have an idea for the plotline, I'll be glad to hear those too!</p><p> </p><p>Also, Trollstopia is Amazing if you haven't watched it! I don't have Anyone to talk about that with, so it you want to strike up a conversation about that, feel free to! (I'm not going to put anything here though, cause I don't know if people want spoilers)</p><p>See you next update!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I really wasn't expecting to finish this one until tomorrow, but apparently listening to Owl City is really good motivation.</p><p>Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Alright Trolls, it’s the day you’ve all been waiting for! It’s time we decided who gets to host… Funsgiving!”</p><p>Poppy’s friends all cheered, surrounded in a circle in her pod. They were all excited to see who among them was going to be the host this particular year, but they know whoever it was was going to make the holiday as fun as they possibly could.</p><p>“And to do that, we’re going to play a little game of Spin the Fuzzbert!” It was a Funsgiving tradition, among Poppy and her friends at least, to use the popular method to choose the host. The previous year, it had been Satin and Chenille. The year before, Guy. Poppy had always wanted to host, and this year was no exception.</p><p>Everyone watched as the Fuzzling spun around on the floor of Poppy’s pod, eagerly waiting to see on whom he would stop.</p><p>“It’s Poppy!” Creek declared as Fuzzbert stopped. The Princess squealed in excitement. She had never hosted on her own before, since she had lived with her father until a few years prior. However, as the future ruler of Troll Village and the great friend that she was, she was determined to make this the best Funsgiving in Troll history.</p><p>The others surrounded her, congratulating her and requesting recipes for their upcoming meal. She had a solid week to prepare, which was honestly nothing for her. Poppy had planned whole village-wide parties before in a day. She just had one challenge.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>One of Poppy’s life-long goals was to become friends with Branch, something the others for some reason thought she would never be able to do. Her newest plan, one her friends actually agreed with, however, had to do with Funsgiving. Surely Branch wouldn’t be able to pass up a day of food, fun, and bonding. She would friend him yet.</p><p>“Branch! Are you here?” she called out, swiftly approaching the Bunker entrance. The Grey Troll was nowhere to be found in the area, which was odd considering he was usually working on some project just outside at that specific time every day. “Branch, come out, come out, wherever you are~!”</p><p>Poppy jumped when she heard a frantic russling behind her, followed by a sharp ‘Shhh!’ That tone could only be one Troll.</p><p>“Branch, I-”</p><p>The survivalist quickly cut her off, his ears twitching with every movement. “Shhh!”</p><p>“I just wanted to-”</p><p>“Poppy! Be quiet, for Trolls’ sake!” he snapped, albeit a bit louder than she was being. His ears twitched more, and he took one last look at the surrounding forest before grabbing Poppy by the hand and dragging her into the Bunker. Once in the bottom level, he let go of her hand and placed a few sticks next to the rest of his supplies. He didn’t particularly want Poppy in his Bunker (he tried to convince his heart of that, but was failing miserably), but there was an unidentified mystery critter outside somewhere, and knowing the Princess, she would talk until the Puffalos came home if he didn’t take her somewhere safer. He didn’t want to be eaten, and he sure didn’t want Poppy to be eaten.</p><p>What was Poppy doing looking for him, anyways? Taking a glance back at her, he noticed for the first time that she wasn’t holding any kind of card or invitation, like usual. One of her hands reached up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, while she looked closely at some of his rations, not making a sound. Strangely out of character for Poppy, but at least she wasn’t singing his ear off with some annoying song. Branch kept one eye on her as he made his way to his desk, taking extra care to make sure the curtain which held all his Poppy-made cards was out of sight.</p><p>“Poppy, as much as I solely <em> appreciate </em> and <em> cherish </em> the fact that you’re in my Bunker right now, and that you decided to invade my day, I have to ask, why are you here?”</p><p>“Well, duh! You let me in, you grumpy Troll!”</p><p>Branch groaned, exasperated. “Why did you come to see me, Poppy? Don’t you have some death trap to plan or something?”</p><p>She frowned. “Ok, mister, there will be <em> none </em> of that. Lighten up!”</p><p>“It’s my Bunker. I can make the rules, which includes kicking you out at any time and letting you get eaten by a predator.” When she didn’t say anything, he knew he had succeeded at throwing off her positivity. A small smirk made its way onto his face, not that she saw, since he was hunched over his desk at the moment. </p><p>“Solid burn, Branch. But I do have a reason for coming to find you.”</p><p>He waited, not looking up at her. Silence. Finally, he lifted his head. “Which would be?”</p><p>“I’m hosting Funsgiving for my friends this year, and I want you to come!”</p><p>Branch’s eyes widened. “Funsgiving? As in, ‘Play with your food’ Funsgiving?’</p><p>Poppy nodded, waiting for an answer. Branch just stared back at her, lost in his own thoughts. He knew about Funsgiving. In fact, he knew <em> a lot </em> about Funsgiving. It was the <em> one </em>holiday that wasn’t loud or annoying. There was no risky behavior. It was during the day, so there was no chance of nighttime predators. It was a time for family and friends to get together and bond, or even just spend time together.</p><p>He wanted to come. There was just one problem.</p><p>Poppy was his only friend, and he would <em> never </em>admit it. He knew who would be there - Poppy’s group of friends, King Peppy, and Poppy herself.</p><p>And she invited <em> him. </em></p><p>The others didn’t like him. He knew that. Poppy shouldn’t have liked him. But she did. There was no logical explanation for it. He used to love Funsgiving, but now it seemed useless, since he didn’t have any friends or family to spend it with anymore. </p><p>But now, Poppy was standing there in front of him, her sweet smile just getting to both his soul and his heart. It had to be a hoax. She felt bad for him. Right? There was nothing more to it.</p><p>“No.”</p><p>Her smile faded. It was obvious she had been counting on him coming, and now she had gotten the disappointment. She should have been used to it at this point.</p><p>“Oh. Are you sure?”</p><p>“Yep.” Branch had to use all his strength to keep his voice from wavering. He wanted to come. He really did. But the others didn’t want him there. They weren’t friends.</p><p>“Super sure with a cherry on top? Because I want <em> all </em> of my friends there.”</p><p>His heart wrenched again. “I… I don’t have any friends, Poppy.” She should have known that by now.</p><p>“You think you don’t have any friends?” The Princess placed a pink hand over her heart, obviously feeling bad for him. He had no idea why, since it was true. She walked over and put her other hand on his arm. “Branch, we’re all your friends. You can come to us any time. You know that, right?”</p><p>“I-” He made a split second decision, not particularly wanting to break down in front of Poppy. “It’s time for you to leave.” His voice was as cold as stone, and Poppy surely noticed, but he didn’t care. He hopped out of his seat and pushed Poppy over to the Bunker lift before she could get a word in edgewise. He grabbed his remote and sent her up as fast as he could, not giving any hints as to his emotional state after she said that.</p><p>While all the other Trolls in the Village would be having lots of fun and spending quality time with their friends and family on Funsgiving, Branch would just be all alone in his Bunker. </p><p>No matter how much it hurt.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Poppy just stared down at the mat after Branch kicked her out. She could tell he was hurting, and she really just wanted to be back down there with him and let him know just how much she appreciated him. Just how much she valued their friendship.</p><p>But he didn’t think they were friends. That, or he struggled to accept it. Poppy didn’t know which one to think. </p><p>One thing was for sure, though. Funsgiving wouldn’t be the same without him. She wanted <em> all </em>her close friends to be there. Did she feel bad for him? A little. But it was more that she felt bad he hadn’t gotten the message that she cared about him, and didn’t want him to be alone this holiday.</p><p>It was a very Branch thing to think, but Poppy needed a plan if she wanted the grump to join them for Funsgiving. She didn’t have much time, though, since she also had a meal to prepare and plans to make. It was going to be a lot of work, but it was definitely worth it.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm still looking for song suggestions if you have any that might fit the Funsgiving/Thanksgiving theme! Next chapter will come out within the next few days.</p><p> </p><p>Also, go watch Trollstopia if you have access to it and haven't seen it yet! It's amazing!<br/>My personal favorite episodes so far are 'Cloud Control,' 'Cheery Glo-Mato,' 'The Snug-a-Lug Situation,' and 'Bad Hair Day.' What are some of yours?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here's the next chapter! The song in this one is "I've Got This Friend" by The Civil Wars. I would recommend listening to it when the time comes.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Poppy quickly surveyed the table set out in front of her. She had all the major Funsgiving dishes, including the traditional main course, the Diced Fruit. Since she had been worrying about Branch the first half of the week, she had almost forgotten to get one, but luckily found one at the market.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After all, everyone knew what they said. Without a good Diced Fruit, Funsgiving was a shameful cataclasm of humiliation. She didn’t want </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>for her first time hosting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All the other dishes were set out, except of course for the few which were being brought by her friends. That was a Funsgiving tradition for the meal - for guests to bring their own dish if they chose to. Guy decided to bring his own Mashed Po-Tic-Tac-Tatos, which Poppy was 100% ok with. The sparkly Troll could only have them with heavy cream, which only </span>
  <em>
    <span>he</span>
  </em>
  <span> had access to. Nobody knew where Guy got it, and whenever he was asked about it, he zipped his lips shut. He refused to give away the secret of the rare ingredient.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Smidge was bringing her special Musical Eclair Chairs. Everyone knew from experience that they took </span>
  <em>
    <span>forever</span>
  </em>
  <span> to make, and therefore the small Troll took the task upon herself most years.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Satin and Chenille took the initiative to make the Chicken Finger Puppets, since they had a trick for making them extra crispy. Poppy didn’t know how, though, since she used the exact same recipe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Biggie decided to make a new dish he called ‘Dinkles Dumplings’ (because they looked like him, not tasted, the blue Troll insisted). None of them knew how well </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>would go, but they would surely try them out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poppy was making and bringing everything else, being the host and all. Perhaps she was a </span>
  <em>
    <span>little </span>
  </em>
  <span>overly excited, but she chalked that up to just looking forward to her first time hosting without her father. He was going to be there, sure, but he promised not to help in any way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She only had one regret. Branch didn’t seem to be coming. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She hoped he did. Hair, she really hoped he would change his mind and decide to show up. That was one thing Poppy had a lot of - hope. Blind optimism, Branch always called it. But she didn’t see anything blind about it. They were friends, and that was all there was to it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, I could use a host over here!” a voice yelled from behind her. Poppy swiveled around, then spotted Smidge at the edge of the sunny clearing, her hair carefully suspending several eclair chairs. Ten, to be exact, so everyone could participate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, everyone but one. Since it looked like Branch wasn’t coming after all, like he had told her and she had mentioned to some of her friends, there was no need for the extra chair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poppy rushed over to assist Smidge, who she noticed was having a really hard time with all those deserts. “How many do you want me to take?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Four or five would be good, please,” the small Troll responded. Poppy smiled and took that many, both her and Smidge placing them on the large trays she had previously set in a circle not far from the table.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Smidge looked up at her best friend with a grateful smile before running to the table. “Now, when does dinner start? I’m fungry!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um, what?” Poppy was completely confused in response to the odd lingo, having never heard it before. Which was odd, considering she knew mostly all of it. Being Princess had its responsibilities, one of which was keeping up with all the trends.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fungry,” the yellow Troll said again. “You know, hungry for fun? It’s something, the kids say, whatever.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poppy giggled. She was pretty sure it wasn’t, but she wouldn’t tell that to Smidge. They both rushed over to the table, excited for everyone else to show up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ooh, you have the fish sticks! What kinds?” Smidge bit into one of them, and immediately lit up, looking at Poppy. “Hey! You got Cod!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course! There’s flounder in there too,” she added, pointing to the basket of fish sticks. Everyone knew flounder was really hard to get, but she was able to find some this year for the annual Go Fish Sticks game between Smidge and Cooper. It got more intense practically every year.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Smidge’s eyes went cutesy. “Flounder?! Best host ever!” The two shared a hug, albeit one that almost felt like Poppy’s spine was about to explode. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, Smidge?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah?” she answered, too lost in the hug.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poppy chuckled. “Could you ease up just a </span>
  <em>
    <span>little</span>
  </em>
  <span> bit? I get that you’re excited about the flounder, but I don’t think you want a repeat of the fun games incident from a few years ago.” That was sure to get her off; Guy couldn’t glitter for a month after that, and Poppy was sure Smidge wouldn’t want to accidentally do something to her other best friend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh! Sorry…” She released the Princess and smoothed out her dress before chuckling quietly and analyzing the rest of the food, pretending the exchange had never happened. </span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>One by one, the rest of Poppy’s friends began to arrive, each bearing either a dish or a hug. Biggie in particular was excited to show off his dish, which everyone was now looking forward to tasting. Even after the last guest arrived, Poppy stared down the path, a forlorn expression etched on her face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Poppy?” Creek approached his best friend with a look of concern. The others, having an idea as to why the usually happy Princess was so downcast, but not wanting to assume until she confirmed it, followed the guru. “Are you alright, mate?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She sighed, finally looking back. “I just… I really wanted Branch to come. He’s all alone in his Bunker right now, while we’re all out here having fun…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The others exchanged a look. Those who she told about going to invite him were secretly hoping the grump would come, but didn’t tell her that. The Princess continued on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He… he said he didn’t have any friends! We’re all his friends, right?” She looked at them again, hopeful. “I mean, I know you all don’t know him as well as I do, and he’s always snapping at you, but we’re Trolls! We’re supposed to love, and we need to spread that love around, even to Branch.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was silent for a little while as they all thought about Poppy’s words, before she stood up and looked at all of them, taking a guitar from her hair and breaking into song in a typical Troll fashion.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I’ve got this friend. I know you all know him…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The others exchanged a look as she continued. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“He’s not much for words. He’s hidden his heart away.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>She sang that part sadly. It was true - Branch didn’t let anyone get close to him, or his heart. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Oh, I’ve got this friend. A loveless romantic. All that he really wants is someone to love him back.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Oh… If the right one came, if the right one came along! Oh… If the right one came... along.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Slowly, Biggie sang the next part. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Oh, I’ve got this friend. I know you all know him.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>DJ was next. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“He sings a simple song. It sounds lonely and unhappy.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Oh, I’ve got this friend,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Satin sang next. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Holding onto his heart…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Chenille joined her, and the two both sang the next part. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Like it’s a little secret, like it’s all he’s got to give.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The four of them stepped up to Poppy and sang the chorus, smiling at her. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Oh… If the right one came, if the right one came along! Oh… If the right one came… along.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>One by one, the rest of Poppy’s friends joined, until all 10 voices (or jabbers, in Fuzzbert’s case) could be heard, all singing the same message. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Oh… If the right one came, if the right one came along! </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Oh… (I’ve got this friend) If the right one came, if the right one came along! Oh… (I’ve got this friend) If the right one came…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Along…” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Poppy finished.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone smiled and exchanged a look with their beloved friend. Perhaps they were a bit harsh to Branch sometimes. There were definitely times he had helped each of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know…” Smidge started. “There was one time that I was in the forest, and I was about to eat this berry. Branch stopped me just in time to show me it was poisonous, then gave me the safe ones </span>
  <em>
    <span>he </span>
  </em>
  <span>had just collected.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I once lost Mr. Dinkles in a tree, and Branch got him down for me,” Biggie remembered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I tried to get a Bamboo Balloon for one of my parties,” DJ chimed in. “But Branch showed me it was actually a Venus Troll Trap and guided me to an actual Bamboo Balloon Plant.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He showed up out of the blue and saved me from a bunch of Fang Flowers!” Cooper exclaimed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poppy lit up. “See! He doesn’t deserve to be alone on Funsgiving. Who wants to show him how much we care?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The rest of the group cheered, all for whatever plan Poppy came up with. “Great! I just need to grab some stuff at the party shop, then we can get going.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yep, Branch was going to be friended big time.</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Poppy was grateful, like </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>grateful, that Sky Toronto’s FunTime Factory was open on Funsgiving. The older Troll didn’t have any family left, but Poppy knew he always had dinner with some of his closest friends. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah. Princess Poppy. What do you need?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She swiveled around and came face to face with Sky Toronto himself. “Sky! I need something that screams </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Let’s be friends!’</span>
  </em>
  <span>  and is super overelaborate while also being really quiet and not flashy. Do you have anything like that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Glitter Troll looked at his clipboard. “I think I can help you. Come with me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sky led her into the deepest part of the factory, where she knew all the super intense secret stuff was kept. Her eyes widened as he presented her with the </span>
  <em>
    <span>perfect </span>
  </em>
  <span>thing. “It’s amazing! Thank you so much.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded briskly before leading Poppy back to the front door of the Party Shop. “If I may ask, Princess Poppy, are you planning something for Branch?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah! How’d you know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Without much thought, he opened the door and gave the most obvious reply. “Something quiet and simple that says, ‘Let’s be friends?’ There’s really only one Troll that could be for. And I say whatever you’re planning can’t possibly fail.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She gasped in joy. “Really?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sky frowned. “No. My monotone makes it impossible to use sarcasm. We’re done here,” he finished, shutting the door in her face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poppy just shrugged, taking the box in her arms back to her friends. “Oh, just you wait, Branch! I’m gonna friend you </span>
  <em>
    <span>so </span>
  </em>
  <span>hard!” she yelled to the sky.</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Alright, I actually did cry a little when I was writing out Poppy's little mini speech. Just be warned, the next chapter is gonna be a real tearjerker.</p><p>Poppy's speech about spreading the love to Branch was inspired by the Troll Anthem in TTBGO, from the episode 'New Anthem.' The Bamboo Balloon and the Venus Troll Trap are two plants from 'Troll Rangers. The Fang Flowers Cooper mentioned are the vampire flowers from 'Coop, Where's My Guy?'<br/>And then that part at the end with Sky Toronto and his sarcasm was a reference to 'Giggleyum.'</p><p>Expect the last chapter Friday! It might take me a bit to write...</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Last chapter! This one is the longest so far, over 3000 words. There are also lots of cute and fluffy moments!</p><p>The songs in this one I would recommend listening to while reading are "That's What Friends Are For" by Dionne Warwick and "Count On Me" by Bruno Mars.</p><p>Enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Now that the day was actually here, Branch had some regret about saying no to Poppy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The same thing played over and over in his head as he sat at his desk, examining one of Poppy’s many hand crafted cards. She was having fun with her friends and enjoying the sunny day, and he was wallowing in his misery alone in the Bunker. That wasn’t really an ideal arrangement. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>However, like he told Poppy, he wouldn’t have been welcome. Her friends just didn’t like him, and that was that. He was pretty sure they couldn’t care less as to whether he was miserable or not. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Knock Knock Knock</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Who would be knocking on his bunker at this hour? That was a question Branch was determined to answer as he hopped on the lift, remote control in hand. Another night of restless sleep combined with the Funsgiving day blues had honestly made him more tired than angry, so he hoped it wasn’t Poppy. He didn’t have the strength to snap at her for the millionth time that week to leave him alone about Funsgiving.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Branch sighed when he got to the top, looking up at the mat. “Who’s there?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s me, Branch.” Poppy’s voice. It was quieter than usual. “Well, actually, us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wait. What did she mean by “us?” Surely she didn’t bring her friends with her, right? They hated him! </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We have something for you,” she continued on. “If you want to come out so we can show you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He contemplated his options. He could say no, attempt to snap at her and her friends, then spend the rest of the day alone. Or… he could go out and see just what it was all about. After all, they all </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>take the time out of their day to come to his Bunker. That was definitely worth something, even if Poppy probably had to drag them there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Branch slowly opened the hatch and poked his head out. “Is it gonna take long? I have lots of important stuff to do,” he lied. “You know, ration inventory and such.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you come out </span>
  <em>
    <span>all </span>
  </em>
  <span>the way?” Poppy asked. She didn’t seem exasperated at the fact that he was probably being difficult. Instead, she actually sounded sincere, like there was really something she and her friends had been preparing. Hopefully it wouldn’t be loud and annoying, because that was just a one-way ticket for him to go back into the Bunker.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sighed and hopped out, closing the mat behind him before crossing his arms. “So?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poppy smiled at him, her friends starting to gather in a circle. “Listen, Branch. We all care about you, and we’re all your friends, and we want you to know that. What we’re about to do is gonna be really theatrical, and probably too earnest, but we’re Trolls. So here goes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Branch raised an eyebrow as everyone began to prepare. Cooper brought out a harmonica, Biggie stored Mr. Dinkles in his hair, and Poppy took a deep breath and began singing after Cooper’s harmonica solo. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“And I, never thought I’d feel this way, and as far as I’m concerned, I’m glad I got the chance to say… That I do believe I love you…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Branch froze at those last three words. It looked like she was being sincere. Did she love him? As a friend perhaps? Or as something more, like he hoped?</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“And if I should ever go away, well, then close your eyes and try to feel the way we do today…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Biggie joined Poppy, surprising Branch. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“And then if you can remember…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Keep smiling. Keep shining.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Poppy took over by herself once again, making Branch wonder if Biggie singing had been an accident.</span>
  <em>
    <span> “Knowing you can always count on me…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“For sure!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>the two sang together again. Apparently it was intentional. Did Biggie consider him a friend?</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“That’s what friends are for!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Poppy sang.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All the others, except Creek, stepped up and sang with Poppy. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“For good times. And bad times. I’ll be on your side forever more!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“That’s what friends are for!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>the pink Troll sang once again. Looking back, Branch remembered that Poppy </span>
  <em>
    <span>had </span>
  </em>
  <span>been there lots of times, both good and bad, whether he had wanted it or not. And her friends seemed to agree. Well, except Creek, but Branch had never liked him after losing his colors anyways.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cooper played a little more of his harmonica, then Creek actually did step up to the grey Troll. To fuel him, not only did he think of all the times Branch had helped him over the years, but also of when they used to be best friends back in the Troll Tree. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Well, you came still loving me, and now there’s so much more I see! And so by the way, I thank you!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Branch also was able to remember when the two were friends, and realized that even though he had tried to shut them all out, there were always encounters with Poppy’s friends which left them and him a little happier than they had been before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Biggie smiled down at Branch as he sang the next part, remembering all the times the hermit had helped him out of a jam when no one else was available. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Oh, and then for the times that we’re apart…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Unexpectedly, Satin and Chenille, the worst offenders to the teasing, also began to sing with him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Well, then close your eyes and know, these words are coming from our hearts!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“And then if you can remember…” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Biggie sang. Then he backed off and made the way for Creek again. Branch had always thought the purple Troll hated him, but perhaps all those whispers had him sadly mistaken.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Keep smiling. Keep shining. Knowing you can always count on me, for sure! That’s what friends are for!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> To keep the essence of the song, and show Branch they were all in this together, the ten Trolls held hands and swayed to the music as Creek continued to sing from his heart.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“In good times and bad times. I’ll be on your side forever more! That’s what friends are for!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>All the girls, except Poppy, came up and took over as Branch began to tear up. Just a little.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Keep smiling. Keep shining. Knowing you can always count on me, for sure!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“That’s what friends are for!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> DJ sang, vocalizing on her own. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“For good times. And bad times.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I’ll be on your side forever more!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> the girls sang. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“That’s what friends are for!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>They all continued to sway and smile as Biggie began singing again, this time with a little flair. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Keep smiling! Keep shining! Knowing you can always count on me, for sure! ‘Cause I tell you,”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“That’s what friends are for!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> the ten sang. There was no stopping the tears coming down his face and the small smile now. He tried his best to wipe them away, but the damage was done.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“For good times. And the bad times,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Biggie sang.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All of them came together again, singing loud and proud for the grey Troll to hear. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“We’ll be on your side forever more!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“That’s what friends are for…”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Poppy sang, finishing up the lyrics. Creek said the same thing in a reassuring echo, then Cooper played the last notes on his harmonica. The others hummed and lightly sang in the background to finish out the song, then looked toward the recipient with the same big smiles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Branch didn’t have any idea these guys cared for him so much, if at all. But now, seeing them all taking the time out of their Funsgiving to show that they were friends, and that they were sincere about it, well… He just had no words. A few tears escaped his eyes, and he wiped at them with the back of his hand as he stared at all of them, both touched and honored.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Branch, we all love you,” Poppy finally voiced after the silence. “We’re all your friends, and we all care about you. No matter what.” With that, she walked up and put one hand on his heart, and one hand on hers. “And we hope now you can see that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was silent, still lost in his own thoughts. Was this all a dream? He hadn’t had a good one in a while…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I need a minute,” Branch finally whispered, only loud enough for Poppy to hear. Without giving her time to reply, he extended his black hair in a soundproof ball around himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s he doing?” Cooper asked in his usual loud voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Poppy turned to her friends, shrugging. “He said he needs a minute, so maybe it worked?” The others nodded in agreement, Poppy especially hoping the message had gotten through.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the hair ball, Branch was really conflicted. There was no way he could process the situation by himself, especially since his emotions were kind of going haywire after Poppy’s heartfelt display. He reached into his vest and took out his remote control.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gary, I need some help.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The remote fritzed and crackled in response.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Branch sighed in relief. “Thanks. So, I’m really flattered that Poppy and her friends consider me a friend. I mean, that was really unexpected, am I right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gary was silent.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks for being such a good listener, Gar. Anyways, now I’m thinking that Poppy will want me to come to Funsgiving? It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just that they probably still don’t want me there. Even though they see me as a friend, I don’t think they want me intruding on their celebration. I always end up bringing everything down with my attitude.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gary crackled again, and Branch gasped. “I can’t tell Poppy about my fears! I love her, but from what I’ve seen, she’s horrible at keeping secrets, even her own. And her friends would never listen. You’re the only one I can count on, Gary.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He took a deep breath and slowly retracted his hair, his usual frown on his face. To his dismay, Poppy was still there, instead of back at her Funsgiving celebration. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So… Do you want to come to Funsgiving now?” There it was. The inevitable question.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Branch sighed, looking at his bunker, then back at Poppy. “It’s… It’s still no, Poppy. There’s too much touchy-feely stuff, and I’m not particularly fond of sharing anything with you all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their faces fell, like a log that was dropped into the ocean, but didn’t go all the way to the bottom, leaving room for support underneath, but not much. In this case, there was still hope underneath the log.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t necessarily know or understand why you don’t want to talk to us,” Poppy started. “But I do know that you can </span>
  <em>
    <span>always </span>
  </em>
  <span>count on us, Branch. Like how we can always count on you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>More music began to play, coming from a guitar one of Poppy’s friends was playing, backed up by the forest creatures. Branch’s frown wavered, amazed, but not surprised, that Poppy would have another song to show how much she cared. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew</span>
  </em>
  <span> in his heart she cared, but his head always refused to acknowledge it.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“If you ever find yourself stuck in the middle of the sea, I’ll sail the world, to find you! If you ever find yourself lost in the dark and you can’t see, I’ll be the light, to guide you!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Branch couldn’t help but let another small smile grace his face. It seemed like the first song wasn’t a fluke - she really did care.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“We find out what we’re made of, when we are called to help our friends in need!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Poppy sang, looking back at her other friends. She knew, they knew, and Branch knew, that even he couldn’t deny a Troll in need.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You can count on me, like 1, 2, 3, I’ll be there, and I know when I need it I can count on you, like 4, 3, 2, you’ll be there…”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Poppy was completely singing from the heart. She had experienced the Grey Troll’s kindness on many occasions, and she had made it clear every time that he could come to her anytime he needed someone to talk to. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“‘Cause that’s what friends are supposed to do, oh, yeah! Ooooh… Ooooh… yeah, yeah.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“If you’re tossing and you’re turning and you just can’t fall asleep… I’ll sing a song, beside you.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Hearing those words, Branch thought of all the times he had a sleepless night, either from insomnia or nightmares, and his heart wanted Poppy to be there with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“And if you ever forget how much you really mean to me… Every day I will remind you, oh…”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Poppy really did remind him that she was his friend every time they saw each other, and it was true, no matter how many times he tried to deny it. She really did care. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“We find out what we’re made of, when we are called to help our friends in need!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You can count on me, like 1, 2, 3, I’ll be there, and I know when I need it I can count on you, like 4, 3, 2, you’ll be there…”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Poppy knew Branch would always be there, because even though he looked like he didn’t care on the outside, he never let her or her friends down when it mattered. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Cause that’s what friends are supposed to do, oh, yeah! Ooooh… Ooooh… yeah, yeah.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The waterworks were really coming now, and there was no mistaking the heartfelt smile on his face as Poppy continued to sing. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“You’ll always have my shoulder when you cry. I’ll never let go, never say goodbye!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Branch’s voice was very small, but it was there, as he slowly looked up at Poppy and sang along, their voices blending flawlessly in the small forest. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“You know… You can count on me, like 1, 2, 3, I’ll be there…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The others also felt tears begin to fall as they watched. The two singing Trolls put their hands together, both singing from the heart. A blue glow, lighting up the forest, came from Branch’s hand as they sang.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“And I know when I need it I can count on you, like 4, 3, 2, and you’ll be there…” </span>
  </em>
  <span>The blue continued to spread throughout Branch’s body, like magic, and the two smiled lovingly at each other, never wanting to let the song end. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“‘Cause that’s what friends are supposed to do, oh, yeah! Ooooh… Ooooh…”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The blue replaced any traces of grey and black, and Branch’s beautiful new smile and voice was all Poppy could hear as he finished the song. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“You can count on me ‘cause I can count on you.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Poppy’s hug watch went off, and she looked hopefully toward Branch, only to find his blue arms were already held out. She took advantage of that and hopped in, both laughing and crying at the same time. She could feel him relax in her hold, just as she did, considering it was the first willing hug she had gotten from him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Poppy,” he whispered. “For everything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She felt the smile in his voice, and gave one of her own. “I love you, Branch. We all do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had always wished to hear those words come from Poppy, and it felt like a dream come true. “I love you too,” he replied quietly. It wasn’t loud enough for the others to hear, but just loud enough for Poppy to hear, making her smile a little wider and her heart skip a beat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So…” she began, pulling away, much to his disappointment. “Do you want to join us for Funsgiving? We have everything all ready.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Branch looked past her to her - sorry, their - friends, making sure they were still okay with him coming to the celebration. Much to his delight, they all smiled and nodded reassuringly, so he turned back to Poppy. “I would love to.”</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rounding the corner while laughing with Branch, Poppy knew there was something off about the Funsgiving table as soon as she laid eyes on it. There was something missing…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Branch squeezed her hand in concern. “Something wrong?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Poppy!” a voice shouted. “There you are!” Everyone watched as King Peppy appeared from behind the table, a fish stick in his hand. That’s what was missing - the fish sticks. The King walked to his daughter, abruptly stopping when he saw the handsome blue Troll next to her. HIs cane dropped to the ground, making a small thud.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Branch?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He gave a small nod before Peppy scooped him up in a hug, taking note of his hand, which was entwined with Poppy’s. “Rosiepuff would be proud. I know I am.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, sir,” Branch choked out. He caught Poppy eyeing him, silently asking who Rosiepuff was, and he replied with a smile that said, ‘I’ll tell you later.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Giggling at the sight of Branch being crushed in a hug by her father, Poppy ran to the Funsgiving table and tapped a glass to get everyone’s attention. “Every year, I say that Funsgiving isn’t about the perfect meal, but about having fun with your friends,” she started. “I think this is going to be a special Funsgiving, because we have got a lot to be thankful for, am I right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone cheered, and she smiled at the sight of all her loved ones gathered together. “Then let’s have some fun!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Funsgiving was actually both fun and a bit magical, Branch figured as he watched DJ and Guy play Snackgammon. Across the table, Poppy and Smidge were involved in a really competitive game of Cheese and Checkers, while everyone else cheered on King Peppy as he attempted to hit a dart board with a shish kebab. He couldn’t help but smile and sing.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“So fill your plate and fill your drink, and fill this place with family, the kind of love that all these years can’t wash away.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> He was so thankful that there were Trolls who cared about him, who never gave up on him all these years, and Poppy’s kindness had finally paid off. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Cause the older that I get I see that life is short and bittersweet. Thank the Trolls for this Funsgiving Day.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Songs in this chapter:<br/>'That's What Friends Are For' by Dionne Warwick with Elton John, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder<br/>'Count on Me' by Bruno Mars (Suggested by Toxicthecat4836)<br/>'The Thanksgiving Song' by Ben Rector</p><p>Let me know your thoughts on this story! The next holiday I'll be doing a short story for is... Drum Roll Please...<br/>Christmas! And before you say anything, Yes, that was 100% predictable. But I'm trying to think of something different than everything else. </p><p>Don't forget to go check out the start of my new fic, 'Change of A Lifetime,' And have a great weekend!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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